Base vs Patreon
Patreon is built for memberships: fans pay monthly or annually for a creator's posts, video and community, and Patreon hosts all of it. Base sells access to one body of knowledge, a set of documents read into cited facts that buyers question in the browser or from their own AI. Choose Patreon to build a membership around ongoing work. Choose Base to sell access to research, data or a reference people look things up in.
Updated October 7, 2026
At a glance
| Base | Patreon | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Selling access to a knowledge base | Memberships around a creator's ongoing work |
| Pricing | One-time or monthly, from $1 | Monthly and annual memberships, plus one-time digital products |
| Fee | 10% of the price plus card processing (2.9% + 30¢); $8.41 of a $10 sale reaches you | 10% for creators who launched after August 4, 2025, plus payment processing (2.9% + 30¢ on cards) |
| What buyers get | Overview, cited facts, timeline and documents, answered with quotes | Posts, hosted video, chats, polls and comments |
| Questions | Buyers ask the Base, in the browser or their own AI, and get answers that quote your documents | Members comment and chat with you and each other |
When Patreon is the better choice
- You make things on a schedule, such as episodes, videos or essays, and fans pay to follow along.
- Community is part of what you sell: chats, polls, comments.
- You need video hosted for you.
When Base is the better choice
- Buyers come to look things up, not to follow a feed.
- The value is in the documents themselves and being able to check an answer against them.
- Buyers use AI and want your material there, with sources.
Questions
Can I offer a Base to my Patreon members?
Yes, by inviting them. In a paid Base, people you invite by email get in free, beside the people who buy.
What does Base keep from a sale?
10% of the price plus card processing (2.9% + 30¢). $8.41 of a $10 sale reaches you, paid out to you through Stripe.
Sources checked on October 7, 2026
Try it with your own documents
Free for your first Bases, no card. Every new account starts with a Base that explains Base, so there is a cited answer to inspect right away.